"Nicolae Romanescu" Park and the Botanical Garden, again under the steps of visitors. Let's remember why we love them so much

"Nicolae Romanescu" Park and the Botanical Garden, again under the steps of visitors. Let's remember why we love them so much


The "Nicolae Romanescu" Park in Craiova, but also the Botanical Garden, as well as the other parks in the city were reopened to the public, with the relaxation of social distance measures, so that residents - for now - can enjoy fresh air again, right here, at home. They are certainly on the list of places much desired by all citizens, who in recent months have felt the lack of freedom as we knew it.

In a metaphorical way, we can get to know them again, as if we were stepping on their alleys for the first time, and we can admire them as we have never done before. Because we missed them so much. Carry this little guide with you when you revisit them, because knowing their details means truly respecting them.

"Nicolae Romanescu" Park is the largest natural park in Eastern Europe and is named after the mayor of Craiova of 1898, who managed to bring to life this area of the city, with the help of French architect Edouard Redont. The park's well-designed project aroused admiration everywhere, including at the Paris International Exhibition (1900), where it was awarded the Gold Medal, which the Oltenia Museum presented to the general public in an exhibition dedicated to the park.

With an area of about 90 hectares, the park is a romantic one, designed for walks, for relaxation, but also for sports. The benches, the kiosks, the lighting lamps are reminiscent of those times, and the alleys all inevitably lead to the famous lake, over which the landscapers of the time built stylish bridges, also the beautiful Suspended Bridge, which offers a view over the whole green area.

Few people know that Redont managed to acclimatize hundreds of species of trees here, which did not grow normally, so that his ingenuity became a gift for the people of Craiova even more than 100 years after the inauguration of the park.

An undisputed emblem of this place is, without a doubt, the Enchanted Castle, which was designed to cover the basins used for irrigating the lake. Over the years, it has become the main attraction of the park, along with the Suspended Bridge, given its special architecture, narrow interior stairs and the unusual appearance for this area.

Along with all this, the gardener's house, the wharf, the hippodrome, the velodrome, the zoo, the Bibescu House, the summer theater, the cold-water fountains and the side alleys make the "Romanescu" Park the ideal destination to visit right here, at home.

As for the "Alexandru Buia" Botanical Garden, it was founded in 1952 by the professor of the same name, who considered necessary the presence of such a place, for walking and also for study, especially in the context of a city that has a Faculty of Agronomy.

The garden is divided into seven sectors, a museum and a herbarium, all of which cover about 13 hectares, right in the city center. Rehabilitated a few years ago, the garden was made to look exactly as it deserves and to impose the respect that such a place has every right to demand. It is not only a place for walking or jogging - inside there is a tartan track for this purpose - but also one where the visitor can study and read about the different species existing here, being urged to understand its own impact on environment.

Among the trees and flowers, gazebos, bridges, statues and alleys you can find here a quiet afternoon, a cool evening or an energizing morning, why not, when jogging.

The other parks in the county are also starting to open to the public, and we have every freedom to visit them. But it is not enough.

In order to enjoy them, we must understand their purpose and respect them. As, during this period, we must take care of each other, we also must show due respect for all these gardens and parks. We must do that so that we can have something to visit over the years, just as those before us had something to leave us as a legacy; a metropolis with green hearts, from where we can enjoy freedom again.

Photo: discoverdolj.ro, memorielocala.aman.ro, facebook.com/raadpfl, Craiova City Hall

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